Best B-Star Fest (2008)

"You are the entertainment capital of the world," says Ray Courts with a slow and polite Southern drawl from his home in Spring Hill, Florida. "We thought there were other people besides us who come to Hollywood and would like to meet some of your favorite celebrity guests. OK, I grant you that we don't have your Tom Cruises or Kevin Costners or your Will Smiths, but dog gone it, ma'am, there are so many of them I'm looking forward to meeting that I just watched on TV and the silver screen."

Thanks to Courts and his wife, Sharan, meeting celebrities other than Tom Cruise or Kevin Costner or Will Smith is as easy as showing up at the Burbank Airport Marriott for the Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show. Sure, they're mostly stars from TV and film's bygone era. But for pre-eBay baby boomers who fondly remember their idols as a fraternity of actors and not the paparazzi bait and tabloid headlines of today, these shows are the equivalent of Grauman's Chinese come to life.

Originally from West Virginia, the couple began as collectors and dealers who were inspired to start their own show after frequenting early movie memorabilia gatherings that didn't allow celebrities to attend. For 13 years, the Courtses initially operated out of North Hollywood's Beverly Garland Holiday Inn, fittingly owned by Garland, who starred in My Three Sons. Once the show took off, it was the celebs who approached the husband-and-wife team. And to date, they've wrangled thousands of major and minor stars, retired actors, bit players, Western heroes and the voices behind some of Disney's early animations (Adriana Caselotti, the original Snow White, used to appear in character), all of whom are more than eager to pose for pictures, talk to fans and autograph photos for $15 or $20.

Charlton Heston, Mickey Rooney, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, Angie Dickinson, Barbara Eden and Adam West have all had fans lining up for their John Hancocks. And who wouldn't want to meet Jeannie or the original Batman? Or if it's current celebrities you're hounding, Val Kilmer not only attended in 2003, but signed guitars, while Hilary Duff appeared on behalf of a children's charity back when she was still a teen Disney star.

They also stage mini cast reunions from various films and TV shows, from Westside Story and Star Wars to Little House on thePrairie, The Partridge Family, Welcome Back, Kotter and even The Three Stooges. And dealers from as far as Argentina come to sell more photographs, posters, scripts, lobby cards, movie props and costumes, some dating back to silent films, ranging from a few bucks to upwards of $20,000.

"Even now I collect autographs," says Courts. "Holy smokes, you oughta see our family room. It is wall to wall of our heroes and heroines." Courts' first piece of memorabilia was a knife used by Gordon Scott, who played Tarzan in the '50s, while some of his other prized possessions include studio chairs from The Andy Griffith Show, starring Courts' favorite comedian, the late Don Knotts.

"For us, it is still a thrill," says Courts. "We got the legendary Jane Russell coming to our show. Wow! Howard Hughes discovered this young lady!" Did he say "young"?